


Expanding

by abeac



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 22:00:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30062163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abeac/pseuds/abeac
Summary: The diagnostic's team is expanding unexpectedly.
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Kudos: 15





	1. Patient Y

Sometimes knowing the patient is half diagnosis Ethan reminds himself as he sits in his office contemplating the symptoms he’s recently observed. Fatigue, increased urination and sudden food aversions were the most apparent, but he’d noticed subtle changes in her temperament.

He willed himself to avoid jumping to conclusions, after all, he’d learned the dangers of making assumptions early on in his career. 

His whirling thoughts halted as the door to the diagnostics office swung open and the team entered. The two members were enthused over the emergency surgery Harper had performed early this morning, his wife listened keenly as the surgeon discussed the details. 

His eyes unconsciously settled on his wife’s abdomen, it appeared as it always had but he couldn’t help but wonder if it had subtly changed. 

“I can’t believe I missed it!” His wife muttered, disappointment laced in her sentence. “Bryce forgot to press send on his text and realized while you were stitching the patient.” 

“I would tell you to observe next time but I doubt there will be a next time,” Harper replied with a faint chuckle. “Surgeries like that are once in a lifetime opportunities.” 

He watched as his wife heaved a heavy sigh before picking up one of the files on the joint desk and scanning over its contents. Harper mimicked her actions and silence returned to the office while the two team members reviewed the most recently proposed case. 

“Patient is Beckett Drysdale, he’s presenting difficulty swallowing, dry eyes, dry mouth and chest pain.” Ethan began, neither of the doctors lifted their heads to acknowledge hearing him but they both nodded along. 

“I vote yes.” His wife spoke as she set the file back onto the desk and sipped her coffee. She swallowed the liquid with a shudder and Ethan subtly sniffed the air in hopes of catching the lemony scent her usual order emitted. 

“I agree.” Harper concurred as she continued reading the file. “It could be Gastroesophageal reflux disease.” 

“Gastroesophageal reflux disease wouldn’t account for his dry eyes.” His wife pointed out. “According to his file, he’s tried numerous antacids and H-2-receptor blockers to neutralize and reduce his stomach acid but neither has worked. If it was Gastroesophageal reflux disease then that alone should’ve alleviated his symptoms.” She continued, a thoughtful expression crossing her features. 

“Well, what do you think?” Ethan asked, his question directed to his wife. 

“It may be achalasia.” She spoke, the distinct furrow between her eyebrows indicated she was cross-referencing his symptoms and treatments with the condition. 

“The odds of it being achalasia are next to nothing,” Harper replied. 

“What do you suppose we do then?” Ethan probed hoping the two could agree on a treatment plan. 

“I suggest an esophageal manometry.” The youngest member of the team, his wife, spoke. “And, depending on the results, a barium swallow.” 

“I think that’s a reasonable course of action.” Harper nodded affirmably. 

“Harper, can you run those tests yourself?” Ethan asked, his voice inadvertently urgent. 

“I can, but I didn’t brainstorm this diagnosis plan and I believe the woman behind it should be the one leading it,” Harper spoke evenly, her eye contact with Ethan didn’t waver as she hoped he’d reconsider. 

“You’re right.” Ethan sighed defeatedly, he avoided the gaze of his wife who seemed equally irritated and curious. “You two can work together.” 

“But first, I need a coffee.” Harper smiled as she turned to the youngest diagnostician. “Let’s meet in fifteen minutes at the patient’s room?” 

“Of course.” The young doctor nodded with a small smile. The world-renown surgeon exited without any further conversation, and Ethan watched as his wife began placing the displaced documents splayed across the desk back into their original file location. 

“Have you eaten today?” He asked, concern evident in his voice and expression. 

“Ethan, you made me a smoothie this morning.” She replied with a grin. 

“That barely counts.” He muttered displeasingly. “Have you eaten anything since then?” 

“No, I haven’t had much of an appetite.” She admitted as she closed the file and crossed the office to sit on the edge of his desk. He shot her an uncharacteristic pout to which she rolled her eyes in response before settling herself on his lap. 

“I’m worried about you.” He mumbled as he rested his forehead against her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her tightly. 

“It’s nothing, I’m sure it’s just stress.” She reasoned with a slight shrug. 

“If you’re stressed then please tell me, you have plenty of vacation days if you need a break.” He spoke with a soft yet imploring voice. “Can I run some tests to be sure?”

“What kind of tests?” She asked, Ethan recognized doubt in her tone. 

He hesitated for a moment wondering if he should express his concerns. They had barely discussed having children, but throughout their years working together he had witnessed her nurturing nature firsthand. She adored children, but he knew that didn’t necessarily mean she wanted children of her own. 

He sighed heavily as his mind fought with itself before he finally looked up at her only to see her eyes locked on him with concern evident in her expression. 

“I suspect you may be pregnant.” He admitted, he expected her to deny the possibility altogether but instead, she remained eerily unresponsive to the prospect. “I want to run a beta hCG blood test.” 

“Okay.” She nodded, she stood suddenly from his lap. “Although we could just as easily purchase a pregnancy test from the pharmacy.” She chuckled. 

“What’s the fun in that?” He replied with a playful smirk. “I’ll be right back.” He spoke before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips and exiting the office. 

He did his best to appear as he always did, but he felt paranoid. He felt as if everyone knew despite him not even knowing. 

He pressed his keycard into the nearest supply closet and grabbed an elastic, a needle, a tube and a vial with motor memory. His years working at Edenbrook meant he could find virtually anything within a matter of seconds despite the closet being dark and cramped. 

He returned to the diagnostics office moments later and discreetly locked the door hoping no uninvited visitors made an appearance. 

She sat on the couch reading a medical journal he’d recently finished. She smiled as he entered the office with the supplies in hand. 

“Are you ready to lose some blood?” He asked teasingly as he crouched in front of her. She rolled her eyes in response and removed her laboratory coat exposing her short-sleeved shirt and exposed arm. 

Ethan made quick work of expertly wrapping the elastic band around her limb, locating a vein and inserting the needle. Moments later, he removed the band and needle before pressing a swab of cotton to the site and applying pressure. 

“I’m going to run these to the lab.” He spoke as he placed a small bandage over the gauze. For the first time since beginning the test, he looked up only to see her smiling face staring at him with a glint in her eyes. He beamed in response, his smile stretching as wide as it could. 

“Can I be patient Y?” She grinned, Ethan laughed heartily - the only way he did when she was the source of his laughter. 

“I’ll page you when I get the results, until then stay here and relax for a little while. I don’t want you getting woozy from the blood loss.”

“Ethan, you barely took any blood from me.” She grumbled. 

“Doctor’s orders.” He replied before pressing a soft, lingering kiss to her lips “I’ll cover for you and I’ll run the tests with Harper.”

“I love you.” She smiled softly. 

“I love you too.”

“Now, go find out if Doctor Ramsey is going to be a DILF.” She grinned. 

“Do I even want to know what that means?”

“Let’s just say you shouldn’t ask anyone what it means.” She laughed, the sound ringing in Ethan’s ears as his heart swelled with joy, excitement and anticipation. 

Later that day, she sat in the lounge surrounded by her friend’s but she paid no attention to them. She felt oddly calm despite the looming life-changing uncertainty. Ethan’s voice rescued her from her trance as he called her name, gaining her attention. She excused herself from the group of young doctors, though she doubted they would notice her absence given her silence throughout their conversation. She and Ethan navigated to the diagnostics office in silence, neither of them sure what to say. 

Ethan was grateful Harper was absent as he locked the glass panel door behind them and inhaled deeply. His wife sat on the sofa across the room, her hands clasped tightly and her gaze on the floor. 

“Do you want to look at it together?” He asked, the file in his hand felt as if it weighed a hundred pounds and his fingers tingled with an unfamiliar sensation. Her eyes shifted to him as he spoke and she nodded slowly. Moments later they sat together side-by-side on the sofa, both heaving a deep intake of breath before Ethan opened the file and exposed the results. 

“8,570 milli-international units per millilitre.” She uttered beside him. “Also known as definitively pregnant.”


	2. A Seed of Suspicion

Bryce laid sprawled across the leather sofa chuckling to himself as he pondered why the hospital would purchase such a comfortable place to laze. Conversation buzzed around him but he paid no attention, instead he stared at the ceiling with little on his mind. He’d completed two surgeries before the noon-hour and had nowhere else to be for the time being.

He lolled his head to the side, his eyes settling on his group of friends who were all enthused by Harper Emery’s most recent surgery and the rare medical oddity she’d treated. He had already heard most of the details from Harper herself, he had little interest in the musings of his friends as they discussed the case. 

His gaze adjusted to the diagnostician of the group’s face as he realized she wasn’t involved in the conversation, she disinterestedly twirled a strand of her with her index finger and seemed to be deep in thought staring inattentively at the wall opposite of her. Bryce furrowed his eyebrows and pressed his lips into a thin line as he considered what could be bothering her. He wracked his mind as he formed a list of potential causes. Two likely sources stilled in his mind; one of the team’s patients or Ethan Ramsey. 

His attention drifted to her fists, neither of which were clenched as they typically were after an argument with the senior diagnostician. Next, Bryce’s eyes moved to her knee and found it to be still unlike its usual bouncing state when she was stressed. Then, he checked the space under her eyes searching for any amount of the familiar purple hue that presented itself when she worked double-shifts. Finally, his eyes lingered on her forehead and scanned for the creases that were always visible when she was overthinking. His concern and suspicion increased ten-fold as he realized her usual signs of stress and anxiety were not evident. Instead, she seemed perfectly neutral but Bryce couldn’t chase off his wariness. 

“I’ll see you guys around.” He announced as he sat from his lazed position and exited the lounge. He walked with large strides towards the locker room and expertly entered his code as he had for the past three years. He reached onto the top shelf of his locker and retracted the bin filled to its rim with chocolate and candy. He hummed as he stared at the mass amount of sugary treats before returning the box to its regular position and latching his lock. Then, he checked the calendar hanging on the locker room wall and grinned to himself.

Over the years, he’d picked up on her menstrual cues and had even found himself responding to pleading emergency messages requesting hygiene products and fresh scrubs. For that reason, he kept a stash of treats in his locker specifically for her and ensured he always had a few tampons with a range of absorbancy stored in his locker for when period-related emergencies happened.

He whistled cheerily with a renewed spring in his step as he returned to the lounge, he sat beside her and stared at her with a playful smirk hoping to silently convey his awareness. She tore herself from the thoughts whirling in her mind as she felt his familiar gaze, she squinted at him and his sudden eagerness mistrustfully.

“Rookie, can I speak to you?” Doctor Ramsey’s breathless voice interrupted the silent exchange between the two friends. She shot Bryce one final befuddled stare before excusing herself. Bryce watched the couple as they walked side by side down the corridor, slowly drifting from his vision and he smiled to himself. 

Weeks later, Sienna stared at her friend anxiously. The diagnostician had been eerily still staring at a box of diapers for a worrying amount of time, and Sienna had noticed her friend’s fleeting glances as they passed the infant section of the department store. 

“Are you okay?” She asked suddenly, she contemplated what could be causing her friend’s strange behaviour. 

“Oh, yeah.” Her friend responded dismissively with a small smile that Sienna doubted the genuineness of. 

“Are you thinking about your future?” Sienna questioned hesitantly. Her friend’s eyes grew and her brows raised as she opened her mouth only to close it again. “I know you’ve said you want children, have you two started talking about it?” She continued nervously, she swallowed dryly as she watched her friend falter briefly.

“Not yet.” Her friend shrugged, but Sienna struggled to believe her. 

“If you ever need to talk, come to me.” Sienna implored, her thoughts muddled with uneasiness as she hoped her friend was okay.

The following day, Elijah shouted loudly from a patient room as the young diagnostician walked past. She immediately rushed to the room and assessed the scene - Elijah was in the midst of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. She raced to the bedside and began delivering ventilation using a bag-valve-mask device. Marlene, a senior critical care nurse, joined the scene with a defibrillator. The young diagnostician stepped away from the scene as the code team arrived and began working, though she remained nearby offering assistance whenever she could. 

Merely five minutes later, the patient was stabilized and Elijah was next to his friend in the hallway as they both settled from the adrenaline rush.

“Thank you.” He wheezed, his arms throbbing from the compressions. She shook her head with a small smile, silently denying his gratitude. Elijah’s eyes barely registered the sudden movement of her clasping her hand to her mouth and running in the direction of the nearest restroom. He hesitated following her, but ultimately chased after her, troubled by her apparent incoming sickness. 

He perched himself outside the restroom counting the seconds and preparing to page for assistance. She exited the room as his finger hovered over the device, he released a deep breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

“Are you okay?” He rushed, edge evident in his voice. 

“Yes, must’ve just been from the adrenaline.” She muttered as she wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. Elijah noticed her pale complexion, glazed eyes and shaking hand.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He questioned doubting her. She nodded quickly in response, feigning a weak smile. 

“Yes, Elijah.” She scoffed lightheartedly. “Thanks for checking on me.” She offered a small wave before departing and leaving him skeptical of her state.

One week later, Aurora strode down the corridors of Edenbrook. An inadvertent smile spread across her face as her eyes settled on the two familiar diagnosticians she neared. 

“Good morning, Doctor Ramsey and younger Doctor Ramsey.” She grinned as she stopped in front of the couple who were transfixed on the document the younger of the two held. Both diagnosticians startled and both made quick work of composing themselves. Aurora’s eyes followed the document as her friend quickly shoved it into the file Ethan held.

“Is everything okay?” She asked dubiously. Ethan coughed and avoided her gaze, instead he stared far down the hallway. 

“Of course!” Her friend exclaimed keenly. “We were just discussing the team’s newest patient.” She continued, though Aurora noted how her friend’s tone wavered.

“If you say so.” She replied with a raised eyebrow, she shot her friend the best leery expression. “I’ll leave you to it.” 

That night, Jackie cursed in the apartment as she read over the message. Bryce, for once, was stunned into silence as he watched her pace back and forth across the room. Sienna winced and took a large gulp from the glass in her hand. Elijah attempted to appear oblivious to her outburst, instead he willed himself to focus exclusively on the remote in his hand and the videogame on the television. Aurora’s chest deflated as she sighed loudly while readjusting the outfit she had specifically chosen for their outing. 

“This woman goes off and marries a world-renowned surgeon and now she thinks she’s too good for us!” Jackie bellowed, she squeezed the cellphone in her hand impossibly tighter and tried to restrain herself from chucking it across the apartment.

“Jackie, that’s not true,” Sienna murmured quietly, her voice tinged with despondency. Her gaze remained focused on her twiddling thumbs as she hoped to avoid Jackie’s wrath.

“Yeah, she still hangs out with us.” Rafael agreed, Jackie’s heated eyes settled on him in a glare.

“Only at the hospital.” She countered as she continued pacing and shook her head baffled. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Bryce groaned, he dramatically rubbed his hands across his face as he flopped onto the sofa. 

“No, maybe you should spell it out for us.” Jackie retorted sarcastically, her heels clicking loudly on the hardwood floor as she expanded her pace route from the area rug. 

“She’s pregnant!” He exclaimed. 

“What?” Jackie muttered as she froze in place, her jaw agape and her eyes wide in shock. The rest of the group mirrored her expression as they stared at Bryce. 

“She didn’t take any chocolate from the period stash I have for her in my locker.” He explained. 

“That doesn’t mean she’s pregnant,” Jackie replied 

“She was acting strange when we went shopping the other day,” Sienna spoke quietly. “She kept staring at the infant section.” 

“She threw up after she helped with a code blue, she said it was from the adrenaline,” Elijah murmured. 

“I saw her and Ethan reviewing a sonogram, she said it was their patient’s,” Aurora spoke, a hint of realization in her tone.

“Oh my god,” Jackie whispered, the group exchanged glances before cheers replaced the silence. 

“No wonder she cancelled on sushi night.” 

Hours later, Aurora, Bryce, Elijah, Jackie, Rafael and Sienna wandered the aisles in search of the perfect gift. Admittedly, none of them knew what to get their expecting friend who still hadn’t shared her exciting announcement with them. 

Sienna had pleaded that the group wait until their friend confided the news, she reasoned that the pregnancy wasn’t confirmed and they shouldn’t make such assumptions without any evidence. The rationale doctor and her concerns were vetoed by the group resulting in Sienna’s fear of missing excitement clashing with her hesitancy to remain uninvolved in the plot.

Merely forty minutes ago the group was seated at a booth nestled in a dark corner of Donahue’s, three empty platters that had previously carried tequila shots sat between them as they created a plan they drunkenly deemed flawless. 

Their scheme was simple; they would venture to the nearest toy store and each pick out a gift for the child growing in their friend’s uterus. They loudly debated what to purchase as they stumbled down the sidewalks of the city, none of them having any idea where the closest toy store was or which direction they were heading. 

After thirty minutes of walking with no set destination, the group regarded Rafael as a genius as he had a brilliant breakthrough and thought to search online for the nearest store. As it turns out, they had wandered in the complete opposite direction and spent the next thirty minutes backtracking. 

The group clumsily ran through the parking lot as they approached the store, only for their excitement to die as the doors failed to open. Bryce knocked on the glass panels for ten minutes as the rest of his friends huddled together and redeveloped their idea. It was then that Bryce spotted the bright, inviting neon lights only a few yards away.

“Hey guys, maybe we should check that store?” He slurred as he pointed towards the building. 

“A pet store?” Elijah asked blearily. “Good idea, Bryce! Kids are basically like pets.” 

And that’s how the group ended up where they currently are; aimlessly wandering through the pet store searching for a baby gift. One hour later Sienna and the rest of the group were standing at the checkout station, each of them equipped with their selected gift. 

“Please, don’t ever come back.” The cashier grumbled as they handed Bryce his change. 

“Are you talking to me?” He slurred as he pointed his index finger to his chest. The cashier sighed heavily. 

“I’m talking to all of you.” 

“Good, because excluding them is bullying,” Bryce spoke as he struggled to put the quarters in his pocket. Seconds later the distinct clatter of coins landing on the floor rang out in the store, but no one in the group seemed to notice and, much to the relief of the cashier, they exited the store. 

“We have to give them our gifts now!” Aurora exclaimed, a strong sense of determination settling in her. 

“You’re right.” Jackie concurred, she retrieved her cellphone from her pocket and ordered a rideshare for the group. Suffice to say, their driver stared at a sight for sore eyes as he glanced in his rearview mirror as the group settled into the vehicle. The fifteen-minute delay between ordering the ride and its arrival didn’t result in any of the friends sobering up. 

“Can you take us to Ethan Ramsey’s house?” Aurora asked, her speech noticeably impaired. 

“I don’t know who or where that is.” The driver replied with an annoyed eye roll, he sighed heavily as he waited for further direction. 

“Doctor Ramsey’s house.” Aurora pressed as she grew frustrated. Sienna jumped into the conversation providing the address before Aurora could hurl an insult degrading the man’s intelligence. 

The drive was short, only ten minutes, and Bryce complained adamantly that the group could’ve and should’ve walked instead. Rafael nodded along, muttering something about fresh air and exercise while Jackie challenged the sentiment and whined about her heels.

The squeal of tires ripped through the otherwise silent night as the vehicle tore from the group quickly, they stood outside their friend’s home staring at it yet oblivious to the dark windows. Bryce ran up the walkway as he announced an impromptu race that he’d won a headstart in, the rest of the group followed quickly after him. 

Bryce’s knuckles knocked on the front door in bursts of three while Elijah pressed the doorbell consecutively. Jackie toppled over into the nearby shrubs and the group burst into a fit of loud laughter surely disturbing the entire neighbourhood. Sienna bounced excitedly as she noticed lights turn on in the home and she gripped her gift tightly feeling a burst of pride at her choice.

The door swung open revealing Ethan Ramsey in a white robe, his hair uncharacteristically dishevelled and his gaze drowsy. He stared at the sight in front of him with no reaction, his eyes scanned between the familiar faces and he exhaled loudly. He didn’t say anything as he retreated into the home, but he intentionally left the door open knowing the drunken fools would accept his wordless invitation. He shuffled into their living room while rubbing his eyes tiredly, the tumultuous sound of footsteps behind him informed him that the group had followed him as he expected.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re not the Doctor Ramsey we want to see,” Bryce spoke, his voice hesitant yet bold at the same time.

“This is what’s going to happen,” Ethan grumbled as he glared at the surgeon. “You’re going to sleep here and we’ll talk in the morning.”

Surprisingly, the group’s huddled form distinguished. Aurora and Jackie each claimed an armchair, Bryce plummeted himself onto the sectional, Rafael assisted Elijah onto the love seat before joining Bryce on the large sectional and Sienna wandered to the chaise lounger. Moments later the whispers dissolved and were replaced by soft snores, Ethan scanned the room astonished by their compliance. He eyed the items the group had set on the nearby console table but was too tired to give the oddities much thought.

The following morning, Ethan and his wife stood in the living room taking in its disastrous state. Blankets and pillows were strewn about the room, and six bodies were slumped in various positions taking up every sitting place. 

“What time did they come?” She asked him, her voice laced with bewilderment. 

“Three.”

Her gaze drifted from her friend’s and settled on the assortment of items on their console table; a bag of dog treats, puppy training pads, a tennis ball, a hamster wheel, a bristle brush and a fish shockingly still alive despite the chaos it had lived through

“That’s not fair!” A familiar voice whined suddenly. “The gifts were meant to be a surprise!” Bryce pouted as he sat up. 

“A surprise?” She replied perplexedly. 

“Yeah, they’re baby gifts.” He elaborated. “For your baby.”


End file.
